Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1217: Chapter 408: The Aging Li Tiancheng, a Powerful Core Team, Hidden Intentions, Fusion of the Three Towns

"Hurry and put them down, I’ll bandage you up!"

Li Xuanling rushed over with Han Shuang and the other maids from the side chamber, first asking Xia Hong to lay the child down. She then personally helped him take off his shirt and used a cloth-made bandage to wrap up the wound on his back.

Seeing her face full of worry, a warm feeling surged through Xia Hong’s heart. He smiled and said, "It’s alright, Yang Zhun can’t break my bones; it’s just flesh wounds. I’ve already taken the Blood Returning Pill, and I’ll recover in at most half a month!"

Li Xuanling immediately gave him a look, confirmed that the bandage was tight, then turned to signal Han Shuang and the others to have him change into the prepared clothes.

"The Lord’s strength is extraordinary; this old man is impressed!"

An elder with white hair and beard also walked out from the inner chamber. His face was still full of amazement, clearly still engrossed in the incident between Xia Hong and the lord of the Six Towns. Only upon walking up to Xia Hong did he remember, hurriedly bowing in greeting.

"Old Li, you’re too kind, no need for such ceremony!"

The elder’s body was slightly hunched, and Xia Hong, of course, didn’t let him bow, quickly stepping forward to help him up. Seeing the wrinkles on the elder’s face becoming more pronounced, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

This elder was none other than Li Xuanling’s second uncle, Li Tiancheng.

During the Cold Yuan Festival in the third year of Da Xia, he was appointed as the Prison Department Director. In just over two months, Li Tiancheng not only established the structure of the Prison Department but also introduced the first edition of Xia Law, perfectly filling the absence of a penal code in Great Xia.

The first edition of Xia Law significantly reduced the crime rate, which had been rising sharply in Xia City due to the incorporation of the Longyou population. As the second and third editions of Xia Law were continually improved, they provided a solid foundation for the continuous population growth of Xia City.

The population of Xia City has now exceeded two million, and Xia Hong hadn’t focused much on specific matters within the city for a long time. He could only gauge the current state of Xia City through macro data such as crime rates, homicide frequency, the number of unsolved cases, and the frequency of disturbances.

Judging from this data and his occasional secret visits to the Outer City, the Prison Department has done quite well over the past five years; Xia Hong believes even if he personally handled it, he might not do as well as Li Tiancheng.

What does it mean to have an elder at home, it’s like having a treasure?

Li Tiancheng is the perfect embodiment of these eight words.

The only slight flaw is his age.

Li Tiancheng is already ninety-five this year!

In the first two years of serving as the Prison Department Director, he personally handled everything. Whether it was within Xia City or at external posts, if there was any homicide or unsolved case, he would personally take people to investigate.

By the third year, which is the fifth year of Da Xia, he was clearly starting to struggle. Not only did he hand over the Longyuan Squad he had personally created to Lu Yushan, but he also delegated most of the responsibilities in the Prison Department to the Senior Prison Warden Hou Ming, whom he had trained himself. He stayed in the Inner City, focusing solely on studying and perfecting Xia Law. Besides occasionally bringing some things to visit his two grandchildren at the Star-picking Hall, he mostly stayed reclusive.

It is only natural that with advancing age, one’s energy cannot keep up. Li Tiancheng managed the affairs of the Prison Department very well, hardly ever encountering any issues. Xia Hong certainly would not blame him for anything.

In fact, when Xia Hong summoned everyone in Great Xia to Hongmen City, he specifically mentioned that Li Tiancheng didn’t have to come.

Li Tiancheng heard that his two grandchildren were coming too, worried about their safety, and volunteered to come. Just a moment ago, he didn’t go out but stayed with Li Xuanling, accompanying the two children.

"Basic strength is still 23-maned, no, it has slightly decreased!"

While pondering, Xia Hong assessed Li Tiancheng and his face slightly darkened.

Li Tiancheng is a Superior Battle Body; his qualifications are actually not bad. By the second year of Da Xia, he had already reached Peak Cold Resistance Cultivation with the strength of 17-maned.

Unfortunately, in the earlier years of Da Xia, no Dan Medicine had been developed for enhancing the strength of those at the Peak of Cold Resistance Level, so Li Tiancheng’s strength essentially remained unchanged during those years.

It was only after last year when the Camp Supply Department added Dragon Carp and Green Cod to the Dan Medicines that Li Tiancheng, along with others with Peak Cold Resistance Cultivation in Great Xia, had the opportunity to continue strengthening.

In May of this year, Xia Hong saw Li Tiancheng, and he remembered clearly that Li Tiancheng’s strength was almost reaching 24-maned at the time, but now it has obviously declined slightly.

This means that Li Tiancheng is getting too old, and the state of his flesh is beginning to enter a period of decline. Simply put, his lifespan is reaching its limit.

It’s said that those with Cold Resistance Level have a lifespan of 100, but few actually live past 100. Li Tiancheng living to this age is already quite remarkable.

Recalling how Li Xuanling has been frequently taking Yu Yao and Yu Sheng to visit Li Tiancheng since last year, Xia Hong sighed slightly and said softly, "Old Li should focus on closing himself off in Xia City. If you break through to the Xianyang Level, your lifespan would double. Isn’t there time to accompany your two grandchildren then?"

Hearing Xia Hong’s words, Li Xuanling immediately gave Li Tiancheng a reproachful look and said, "That’s right! Second Uncle, I told you not to come, but you insisted. The only thing you should be focusing on now is staying at the camp to cultivate and quickly breaking through to the Xianyang Level to solve the lifespan issue."

Hearing their words, Li Tiancheng immediately showed a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "There’s no need, Lord and Madam, to comfort me. This old man’s flesh is already entering a decline, so breaking through is hopeless. Rather than wasting time on cultivation, I’d rather spend more time with my two grandchildren."